When the cacophony of claims overwhelms, turn to these simple hints.
In this media-heavy world, we are pelted with complex and often confusing nutrition messages almost daily. These bulletins come from the government, consumer groups, physicians' groups, dietitians and marketing teams for products making bold "healthful" claims.
It often takes an interpreter to translate these messages into language we can all understand.
Here is a list of small changes I have developed as a nutrition professor and writer. They can yield big results if we incorporate them into our daily routine.
In this media-heavy world, we are pelted with complex and often confusing nutrition messages almost daily. These bulletins come from the government, consumer groups, physicians' groups, dietitians and marketing teams for products making bold "healthful" claims.
It often takes an interpreter to translate these messages into language we can all understand.
Here is a list of small changes I have developed as a nutrition professor and writer. They can yield big results if we incorporate them into our daily routine.
Reducing risk of disease
- Use heart-healthy olive oil and canola oil in cooking.
- Eat yogurt with active cultures to help boost your immune system.
- Snack on nuts: They contain heart-healthy fats, vitamin E and minerals such as selenium and magnesium that are typically low in our diets.
- Read food labels for sodium content; aim for no more than 2,400 milligrams a day.
- Eat foods with dark colors: Red, green, blue and purple foods contain disease-fighting compounds.
- Eat fish rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, trout and herring.
- Switch to brown rice from white rice to boost fiber and fight diabetes.
- Eat foods with soluble fiber to lower cholesterol: oatmeal, dry beans, barley and apples.
- Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, but aim for nine servings.
- Include more potassium-rich foods that lower high blood pressure: baked white or sweet potatoes, yogurt, bananas, orange or tomato juice.
- Cooked tomato products, such as tomato sauce, tomato paste and marinara sauce, contain lycopene, a chemical that may protect against prostate cancer.
Increasing fiber
- Eat an apple for an afternoon snack.
- Choose breads with 100 percent whole grains.
- Top casseroles with rolled oats instead of bread crumbs.
- Choose lentil soup instead of chicken noodle; a cup of lentil soup has 7 grams of fiber.
- Add baked beans to the cookout menu.
- Eat fruit instead of drinking fruit juice.
- Grind flaxseeds to provide fiber and healthy fats called alpha-linolenic acids; add to your cereal or a smoothie.
- Slice berries into plain yogurt.
Managing your weight
- Switch to fat-free milk if you use whole or 2 percent, and save 45 to 72 calories in every 8-ounce serving.
- Grill fish instead of burgers.
- Weigh yourself every morning, or regularly enough to monitor changes and adjust your eating patterns before the pounds get out of control.
- Learn to cook by taking a cooking class; many hospitals have wellness centers that offer healthful-cooking classes.
- Monitor liquid calories. Besides soda, calories from juice and alcohol can add up.
- Make substitutions, not sacrifices, by finding alternatives to high-fat foods.
- Bake or broil foods instead of frying; when sauteing, use only a tiny amount of oil. All oils contain about 120 calories per tablespoon.
- Eat small meals throughout the day; just remember to keep portions small.
- Increase the volume of foods without increasing calories by including salads and soups with meals.
Snacking smart
- Try light cheese wedges with whole-grain crackers.
- Snack on microwave popcorn with no butter.
- Keep snacking portions small, and choose nutrient-rich snacks.
- Grab some animal crackers and carton of fat-free milk.
- A handful of almonds midafternoon can curb your appetite.
Eating out
- Choose your entree from the appetizer list.
- Select grilled, blackened or baked chicken or fish, not fried.
- Ask for sauce and salad dressing served on the side.
- Don't be shy about asking how food is prepared.
- Ask for a doggie bag at the beginning of the meal, and save half to take home.
- Choose restaurants that have at least a few healthful options.
- When ordering pizza, pass on the high-fat meat toppings, and pile on the vegetables.
Sneaking in more produce
- Toss chopped broccoli, zucchini or carrots into the boiling water as you cook pasta.
- Top a sandwich with piles of baby spinach leaves.
- Add dried fruit to your breakfast cereal.
- Add grated vegetables to tuna, chicken or egg salad.
- Top potatoes or chicken breasts with salsa.
- Use heart-healthy olive oil and canola oil in cooking.
- Eat yogurt with active cultures to help boost your immune system.
- Snack on nuts: They contain heart-healthy fats, vitamin E and minerals such as selenium and magnesium that are typically low in our diets.
- Read food labels for sodium content; aim for no more than 2,400 milligrams a day.
- Eat foods with dark colors: Red, green, blue and purple foods contain disease-fighting compounds.
- Eat fish rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, trout and herring.
- Switch to brown rice from white rice to boost fiber and fight diabetes.
- Eat foods with soluble fiber to lower cholesterol: oatmeal, dry beans, barley and apples.
- Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, but aim for nine servings.
- Include more potassium-rich foods that lower high blood pressure: baked white or sweet potatoes, yogurt, bananas, orange or tomato juice.
- Cooked tomato products, such as tomato sauce, tomato paste and marinara sauce, contain lycopene, a chemical that may protect against prostate cancer.
Increasing fiber
- Eat an apple for an afternoon snack.
- Choose breads with 100 percent whole grains.
- Top casseroles with rolled oats instead of bread crumbs.
- Choose lentil soup instead of chicken noodle; a cup of lentil soup has 7 grams of fiber.
- Add baked beans to the cookout menu.
- Eat fruit instead of drinking fruit juice.
- Grind flaxseeds to provide fiber and healthy fats called alpha-linolenic acids; add to your cereal or a smoothie.
- Slice berries into plain yogurt.
Managing your weight
- Switch to fat-free milk if you use whole or 2 percent, and save 45 to 72 calories in every 8-ounce serving.
- Grill fish instead of burgers.
- Weigh yourself every morning, or regularly enough to monitor changes and adjust your eating patterns before the pounds get out of control.
- Learn to cook by taking a cooking class; many hospitals have wellness centers that offer healthful-cooking classes.
- Monitor liquid calories. Besides soda, calories from juice and alcohol can add up.
- Make substitutions, not sacrifices, by finding alternatives to high-fat foods.
- Bake or broil foods instead of frying; when sauteing, use only a tiny amount of oil. All oils contain about 120 calories per tablespoon.
- Eat small meals throughout the day; just remember to keep portions small.
- Increase the volume of foods without increasing calories by including salads and soups with meals.
Snacking smart
- Try light cheese wedges with whole-grain crackers.
- Snack on microwave popcorn with no butter.
- Keep snacking portions small, and choose nutrient-rich snacks.
- Grab some animal crackers and carton of fat-free milk.
- A handful of almonds midafternoon can curb your appetite.
Eating out
- Choose your entree from the appetizer list.
- Select grilled, blackened or baked chicken or fish, not fried.
- Ask for sauce and salad dressing served on the side.
- Don't be shy about asking how food is prepared.
- Ask for a doggie bag at the beginning of the meal, and save half to take home.
- Choose restaurants that have at least a few healthful options.
- When ordering pizza, pass on the high-fat meat toppings, and pile on the vegetables.
Sneaking in more produce
- Toss chopped broccoli, zucchini or carrots into the boiling water as you cook pasta.
- Top a sandwich with piles of baby spinach leaves.
- Add dried fruit to your breakfast cereal.
- Add grated vegetables to tuna, chicken or egg salad.
- Top potatoes or chicken breasts with salsa.
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